Which number is correct? The answer depends on a larger question, the
definition of wounded. If the term includes combat or “hostile” injuries
inflicted by the enemy, the definition the Pentagon uses, the smaller
number would be right.

But if it also applies to injuries from accidents like vehicle crashes
and to mental and physical illnesses that developed in the war zone, the
meaning that veterans’ groups favor, 50,508 would be accurate.

A spokesman for the veterans’ department, Matt Burns, said the change
in the count was made simply to correct an error. Mr. Burns said the
department posted the higher figure by mistake in November, when an
employee who was updating the site inadvertently added noncombat injuries
listed by the Defense Department. The Pentagon Web site had the correct
total all along.

The previous total on the Web site was 18,586, strictly for combat
injuries. Apparently, no one noticed the sudden leap.

The 50,508 figure caught the attention of the Pentagon when Prof. Linda
Bilmes of
Harvard mentioned it in an opinion article on Jan. 5 in The Los
Angeles Times. A few days later, said Professor Bilmes, who teaches public
finance, she had a call from Dr. William Winkenwerder Jr., assistant
secretary of defense for health affairs, challenging the number.

Professor Bilmes explained that she had used the government tally, the
one on the “America’s Wars” page of the veterans’ department Web site. She
faxed him a copy.

A few days later, the number on the Web site was changed.

A spokeswoman for Dr. Winkenwerder confirmed that he had called the
veterans’ department to have the figure corrected and that the worker had
misunderstood the Defense Department figures.

For her purposes, Professor Bilmes said, the higher figure was the
relevant one because she was writing about the future demands that wounded
veterans would place on the veterans’ health care system. Many of the
veterans would be treated in the system regardless of whether they had
been injured in combat or in vehicle crashes.

About 1.4 million troops have served in Iraq or Afghanistan, and more
than 205,000 have sought care from the veterans’ agency, according to the
government. Of those, more than 73,000 sought treatment for mental
problems like post-traumatic stress disorder.

No one disputes that more 50,000 troops have been injured in Iraq and
Afghanistan or that nonhostile injuries can be serious. Of the more than
3,000 deaths that have occurred, 600 have been listed as nonhostile.

The Pentagon generally directs reporters to
www.defenselink.mil,
which lists counts of the wounded and dead. The deaths are divided into
hostile and nonhostile, but the injuries include just those “wounded in
action.”

“The government keeps two sets of books,” said Paul Sullivan, director
of research and analysis for Veterans of America. Until last March, Mr.
Sullivan was a project manager in the Veterans Affairs Department who
monitored the use of disability benefits by Afghanistan, gulf war and Iraq
veterans.

He suggested that the differing numbers might be cleared up by a bill
that has been introduced in the Senate to improve the collection of health
information on Afghanistan and Iraq veterans.

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